Recipe scaler
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Change the servings, and get the new amounts in grams. Scaling and converting are the same job done twice, so this does both at once. Paste the ingredient list, set what it serves and what you want, and read off the weights.
1.5×
| Ingredient | Scaled | In grams |
|---|
Weights and volumes scale. Baking times, tin sizes and raising agents do not scale linearly, so treat those as a starting point rather than an answer.
Nothing you type here is sent anywhere. The arithmetic runs in your browser.
Why halving a recipe in ounces goes wrong
Ounces do not halve into anything a kitchen scale can show you. Most scales read to 0.1 oz at best, and a lot of them only read whole grams in metric mode. Halve a recipe written in ounces and almost every line lands somewhere between the marks.
| Recipe says | Half, in ounces | Half, in grams |
|---|---|---|
| 8 oz | 4 oz | 113.4 g |
| 6 oz | 3 oz | 85 g |
| 4 oz | 2 oz | 56.7 g |
| 3 oz | 1.5 oz | 42.5 g |
| 2 oz | 1 oz | 28.3 g |
| 1 oz | 0.5 oz | 14.2 g |
This is the argument for weighing in grams generally. A gram is small enough that you rarely need a fraction of one, so scaled amounts stay whole numbers. More on cooking conversions →
What scales, and what does not
Weights and volumes scale linearly. Almost nothing else about baking does, which is why a scaled recipe is a starting point rather than an answer.
- Scales cleanly. Flour, sugar, butter, liquids, eggs by weight. Double the quantity, double the number.
- Scales, with judgement. Salt and strong spices. They scale arithmetically but taste does not, so go slightly under and adjust.
- Does not scale. Baking time. A double batch in one tin bakes much longer than twice; in two tins it bakes in about the same time as one.
- Does not scale. Tin size. Doubling a recipe into a tin of the same depth changes how heat reaches the middle. Prefer two tins over one deeper one.
- Scales badly. Raising agents. Baking powder and soda scale linearly on paper, but a large batch traps more gas and can taste soapy. Many bakers scale these at around three quarters of the arithmetic amount.
Eggs, and other things you cannot halve
Halving a recipe with three eggs is the classic problem. The answer is to weigh them: a large egg out of its shell is about 50 g, so one and a half eggs is roughly 75 g of beaten egg. Beat all three, weigh out what you need, and keep the rest.
The same trick works for anything a recipe counts rather than weighs. Convert the count to a weight, scale the weight, then measure the weight.
Frequently asked
How do I halve a recipe written in ounces?
Convert to grams first, then halve. Half of 3 oz is 1.5 oz, which most kitchen scales cannot show you accurately. In grams it is 42.5 g, which any scale reads. Doing it in the other order leaves you rounding at every line.
How do you halve a recipe that uses three eggs?
Weigh them. A large egg out of its shell is about 50 g, so one and a half eggs is roughly 75 g of beaten egg. Beat all three, weigh out what the scaled recipe needs, and keep the rest. The same approach works for anything a recipe counts rather than weighs.
Do baking times scale with the recipe?
No. A double batch in a single tin takes considerably longer than twice as long, because heat has further to travel to the middle. Split it across two tins and the time stays close to the original. Weights scale linearly; heat does not.
Should baking powder be scaled the same as everything else?
Not quite. It scales arithmetically on paper, but a larger batch traps more gas and can end up tasting soapy or collapsing. Many bakers use about three quarters of the arithmetic amount when scaling up substantially, then adjust.
Is it better to scale first or convert first?
Convert first, then scale. Converting gives you whole grams to work from, and scaling a gram figure keeps it usable. Scaling first leaves you with awkward fractions of an ounce that you then have to convert anyway.